How one can Afford Music Festivals With out Going Broke in 2022

After two years of postponed reveals and cancellations, music lovers are flocking to large festivals throughout the nation.

Whereas festivals themselves are wonderful, the harm they inflict in your pockets isn’t. Journey, lodging, meals, admission and incidentals all add up rapidly.

Simply check out 2022 ticket costs for some widespread music fests across the nation: 

• Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee: $350 and up for 4 days
• Coachella in Indio, California: $449 and up for 3 days
• Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois:  $350 and up for 4 days
• Electrical Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada: $359 and up for 3 days
• Okeechobee Music & Arts Competition in Okeechobee, Florida: $350 and up for 4 days

Most ticket costs don’t embrace choices lile parking, tenting, meals and different add-ons, not to mention Insta-worthy VIP experiences or glow-in-the-dark rave followers.

If you tally every part up, it’s straightforward to spend $1,000 per particular person at a competition by getting swept up within the second — or making rookie errors.

Save financial institution and benefit from the expertise with these professional tips about easy methods to afford music festivals.

Save Cash on Tickets

The earlier you buy your competition tickets, the higher. You’ll must plan forward to get one of the best value.

Presale Tickets

Presale tickets are probably the most inexpensive. They often go on sale anyplace from 9 months to a 12 months earlier than the competition.

You’ll want a presale code to get the cheaper charge. Some festivals, like Coachella, allow you to register for the superior presale on their web site.

Enter your title, cellular quantity and e-mail, and also you’ll get notified with a code when the presale begins so you may seize your early tickets.

It’s additionally straightforward to seek out presale codes on-line by Googling the title of the competition + presale code.

Tier Tickets

Miss the presale? Purchase your tickets as quickly as doable anyway. They are going to solely get costlier because the occasion nears.

Most festivals launch tickets in “tiers.” As one tier sells out, the subsequent tier turns into accessible — at a better value.

For instance, when Bonnaroo 2022 tickets first went on sale, a four-day move price $299. However two weeks earlier than the occasion, the identical tickets price a whopping $350. And that’s earlier than an additional $67 in taxes and costs are tacked on at checkout.

Ought to You Layaway?

Many music festivals, like Extremely and EDC, allow you to arrange a fee plan so you may unfold out the price of your ticket in installments over the subsequent few months.

Most layaway packages embrace further charges. They’re often fairly modest, between $15 and $30.

In case your month-to-month price range can’t stand a $200 to $400 blow abruptly, spreading the associated fee over 4 or 5 interest-free funds is a strong various.

Simply be sure that to issue within the installment funds in your month-to-month price range so that you’re not caught off-guard by automated expenses.

Rating Final-Minute Tickets

If you happen to’re keen to take a danger, you may often rating a last-minute ticket at a all-time low value the day of the occasion.

Scalpers and festival-goers unable to attend the occasion might provide tickets at a steep low cost to recoup a few of their unique price.

Patricio Solano, 35, has nabbed discounted tickets for his buddies by way of competition Fb teams and message boards.

“Within the days main as much as occasions, folks gained’t be capable of make it, and a variety of instances you may get the passes on-line from folks at a fraction of the associated fee,” Solano mentioned.

It’s by no means a assure although, and festivals are infamous for scammers. So proceed with warning.

Make a Competition Price range and Plan Forward

Begin mapping out your price range for the competition as quickly as you purchase your tickets.

Which bills are you chargeable for? Which of them are you able to cut up with buddies?

Resolve how a lot cash you’re comfy spending your complete competition and divide that quantity throughout every day.

Overestimate how a lot you’ll spend. Festivals are filled with surprises — good and unhealthy —  so that you don’t need to come up brief on cash attributable to unexpected circumstances. Nobody likes to borrow cash from buddies or rack-up bank card debt.

Maintain Your Cash Protected

Some folks like taking money to festivals as a result of it’s straightforward to make use of and might help you follow a price range.

However money can also be very easy to lose. Particularly once you’re in a crowded, unfamiliar place and presumably beneath the affect of, ehm, a energetic competition ambiance.

Festivals are additionally infamous havens for unhealthy actors who benefit from good vibes by stealing telephones, wallets and different belongings.

If you happen to’re hesitant to make use of money, contemplate bringing a pay as you go bank card or app-based financial institution card with an allotted price range loaded on it as a substitute.

Whether or not you go money or card, maintain your cash on you always. Purchase a fanny pack or a cash belt and get within the behavior of checking in your belongings all through the day.

Save Cash Whereas Getting Your Rave On

You purchased your ticket — however you continue to want to determine easy methods to get to the competition.

You’ll additionally must determine the place you’ll sleep and what you’ll eat with out going broke.

Getting There

The place to Keep

• Many festivals have on-site tenting however you’ll be anticipated to carry your individual tents and provides. Discover out forward of time how a lot tenting passes price and what objects are permitted so prematurely in the event you can carry issues like your individual firewood and transportable range.
• If you happen to’re going with a gaggle, contemplate pooling your sources to lease an RV.
• An Airbnb might be a reasonable various to expensive motels close to the venue.
• If you happen to don’t thoughts sleeping in a room with strangers, staying at a hostel can prevent large bucks. It’s possible you’ll get a free breakfast too and the chance to satisfy new folks.

What to Eat and Drink

• If you happen to’re not tenting on-site, search for lodging that embrace a kitchen. This fashion, you should purchase groceries, prepare dinner for your self and get monetary savings on meals whilst you’re on the town for the occasion.
• It’s straightforward to splurge on meals and drinks at a competition. Make certain to carry a CamelBak or a pair bottles of water with you, and take a look at these different tremendous easy suggestions for saving cash on meals whereas touring.
• If you happen to determine to go away the competition grounds for a scorching restaurant meal, don’t overlook to verify on-line meals offers earlier than you go.
• Set a foods and drinks price range for your self on the competition and withdraw money previous to the occasion so that you don’t overspend.
• Problem somebody to a pleasant guess on the beer tent. If you happen to win, the opposite particular person has to purchase you a drink.
• Make your individual hummus, Lunchables, granola and different snacks to take with you.
• Double verify the competition guidelines about meals and alcohol earlier than you go. You don’t need to spend tons of cash on booze simply to have it confiscated on the entry gate.
• If you happen to’re staying off-site, eat earlier than you go to the competition and keep away from that $12 scorching canine and $15 slice of pizza.

How Fellow Penny Hoarders Save Cash at Music Festivals

If you need to know easy methods to get issues executed, it’s essential to speak to the specialists — that’s, the individuals who attend music occasions.

We requested a gaggle of devoted festival-goers on Fb for his or her greatest money-saving suggestions and tips.

• “Principally simply be keen to barter,” mentioned Brenton Rhein, of Orlando, Florida. “Discuss to your neighbors and see what you may pool collectively. Most individuals are keen to do that, and it’ll save everybody cash in the long term.”

• “Make issues and be artistic with every competition,” Jeremy V., additionally of Orlando, recommends. “I all the time hand make issues as a aspect hustle, in order that I can use it for trades or money. I go away festivals with cash made.”

• “Plan meals together with your group and all pitch in on elements and labor. We made stir fry, bacon grilled cheese and an enormous breakfast on a regular basis. We didn’t spend a lot on meals contained in the fest, and spent possibly $80-$100 per couple on the groceries,” mentioned Alex Gallo of Woodstock, Georgia.
• “Don’t spend cash on souvenirs and merchandise on the competition,” mentioned  Solano, a Florida resident. “Most of these can be found on-line at a less expensive value and also you run the chance of shedding no matter you purchased on the competition.”
• “We had a large group,” mentioned Florida resident Courtney Lord. “[We] assigned sure snacks and drinks to singles and {couples} introduced meals. Everybody was chargeable for bringing their very own case of water.”
• “Goodwill and DIY for outfits,” advisable Alexa Mucci, a resident of New York Metropolis. “Numerous folks spend a ton of cash on their rave gear or competition vogue, however you may repurpose thrift retailer finds or make actually artistic stuff out of low cost materials and enjoyable greenback retailer stuff.”

Assume Exterior the Field

Listed here are just a few different methods to economize on music festivals.

Turn out to be a Volunteer

Festivals all the time want volunteers to assist with issues like distributing wristbands on the gate, promoting packages and cleansing up after the occasion.

In return, you’ll get free entry to the competition. You may even rating different perks like free meals and suggestions.

“You often work about 5 to 6 hours per day and get the remainder of the time to benefit from the competition,” says Kelli Wheeler from Orlando.

Simply be sure that to enroll as a volunteer as early as doable as a result of positions refill rapidly.

Write concerning the Competition

Give you an attention-grabbing story angle and pitch it to a web site that is likely to be keen to select up a number of the price to ship a contract author to cowl the occasion.

Enter Contests

When all else fails, generally you simply must make your individual luck.

Bands, music venues and radio stations randomly give away free competition tickets. It’s possible you’ll have to be caller quantity X to get a pair of free tickets on the radio.

“I went to Okeechobee free of charge as a result of I entered [around] 10 completely different on-line contests,” Mucci mentioned.

Give it a Google and add your favourite bands on social media so you may study giveaways and contests.

Rachel Christian is a Licensed Educator in Private Finance and a senior author for The Penny Hoarder. Lisa McGreevy is a former employees author at The Penny Hoarder.